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Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine
Dissertation (MMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2021.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613461886795776 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Stapela, Hanli |
| author_browse | Stapela, Hanli |
| author_facet | Stapela, Hanli |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/79750 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:31.522Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/79750 Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine Stapela, Hanli miss.nienaber@gmail.com Nienaber, Ailyn UCTD Leonard Bernstein La Bonne Cuisine Art song Ambiguity Interpretation Hermeneutics Practice-led Close reading Music theses SDG-04 SDG-04: Quality education Music theses SDG-16 SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions Dissertation (MMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2021. The purpose of this study is to explore how the experience of ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein’s song cycle La Bonne Cuisine challenges the interpretation and performance thereof. I argue that the ambiguity in La Bonne Cuisine can be traced to the following elements that challenge interpretation and performance: Firstly, Bernstein’s eccentric decision to compose this song cycle based on a set of recipes leaves the performer without those traditional poetic markers that she would typically use to interpret and perform Art songs. Secondly, the high level of technicality of the music juxtaposed with the whimsical nature of the words (recipes) results in an incongruity between the music and words. Thirdly, the musico-historical context in which Bernstein is situated lends itself to possible ambiguity due to the atypical and radical manner of composition in the early 20th century, and this challenges conventional interpretation and performance. Bernstein, the man and his music, is discussed while contrasting his idiosyncratic approach to Art songs with that of traditional Art song composition and interpretation. This led to the identification of two concepts that are at the heart of Bernstein’s compositional language, namely, accessibility and eclecticism. A combined practice-led and hermeneutic approach, within an interpretivist paradigm, enabled me to conduct a close reading of the text (words and music) of La Bonne Cuisine. By means of observations gained from my performance practice and insights gleaned from hermeneutical investigation, the close reading highlighted patterns within the music that are incongruous with the words. It is these technical aspects and incongruous elements that give rise to the experience of ambiguity in La Bonne Cuisine. Finally, these elements are contextualised in terms of Bernstein’s eclecticism and accessibility, with reference to his musico-historical context, in order to ameliorate the sense of ambiguity that arises in interpreting and performing this work. ae2025 ae2025 Music MMus (Performing Arts) Unrestricted SDG-04: Quality education SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions 2021-05-04T06:56:31Z 2021-05-04T06:56:31Z 2021-09 2021 Dissertation * http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79750 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Leonard Bernstein La Bonne Cuisine Art song Ambiguity Interpretation Hermeneutics Practice-led Close reading Music theses SDG-04 SDG-04: Quality education Music theses SDG-16 SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine |
| title | Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine |
| title_full | Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine |
| title_fullStr | Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine |
| title_short | Ambiguity in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle La Bonne Cuisine |
| title_sort | ambiguity in leonard bernstein s song cycle la bonne cuisine |
| topic | UCTD Leonard Bernstein La Bonne Cuisine Art song Ambiguity Interpretation Hermeneutics Practice-led Close reading Music theses SDG-04 SDG-04: Quality education Music theses SDG-16 SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79750 |